At least seven NFL teams will strongly consider a change at the starting
quarterback position in 2013. Each of those seven squads ranked among the
league's worst nine teams in 2012.

Among the teams holding the top nine picks in April's NFL draft, only the
Detroit Lions and, to an extent, Oakland would appear to be set at quarterback
(mostly because the Raiders gave up so much to get Carson Palmer in 2011).

For the other seven teams, a major focus during the offseason will be to
upgrade at the most significant position. Let's examine how things might play
out for those teams:

ARIZONA CARDINALS: It's hard to remember, but the Cardinals opened the season
4-0 with Kevin Kolb at the helm. Then he got injured, and John Skelton and Ryan
Lindley, respectively, took turns replacing him and turning in some of the
NFL's worst quarterback play in recent memory.

Kolb is due a $9 million base salary and a $2 million roster bonus by March 15.
It makes him a likely candidate to be released, although he could actually end
up being the team's best option.

Arizona really needs to upgrade its offensive line, though, because Kolb will
never be able to play a 16-game schedule otherwise.

Brian Hoyer made his first NFL start in the Cardinals' season finale against
the 49ers, and he played pretty well. He's a free agent, and he could be
brought back to compete for the job.

As for veteran quarterbacks who should be available, Matt Flynn and Alex Smith,
are unlikely to be traded to the Cardinals because their current teams reside
in the same division as Arizona. Michael Vick, given Arizona's offensive line
problems, doesn't seem to be a great fit.

If the Cardinals decide to draft a quarterback in April, keep an eye on North
Carolina State's Mike Glennon. At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Glennon has tremendous
size and arm strength. Perhaps new head coach Bruce Arians will see a little
bit of Ben Roethlisberger in Glennon when he's evaluating the draft-eligible
quarterbacks. Arians was the Steelers' offensive coordinator during their 2008
Super Bowl season.

BUFFALO BILLS: Incumbent Ryan Fitzpatrick is slated to earn $4.25 million in
2013, in addition to a $3 million roster bonus. Buffalo would save money under
the salary cap by releasing him, and it doesn't help that the Bills' top
receiver, Stevie Johnson, said last week that he'd like the team to bring in
competition for Fitzpatrick.

It's popular to criticize Fitzpatrick and list his shortcomings (22 turnovers
in 2012, subpar arm strength), but the Harvard product has actually been an
overachiever. The problem is, he has limitations. He would be an excellent
backup who could hold the fort for an injured starter and win a few games, but
his contract, although not outrageous, is too expensive for a reserve player.

The obvious guess here would be that Buffalo would attempt to draft Ryan
Nassib because the team's new coach, Doug Marrone, was his head coach at
Syracuse, and the Bills' new offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, also
served in that same capacity with the Orange.

Nassib would be a reach prior to the second round. If the Bills want to target
a quarterback in the first round, they could have a shot at West Virginia's
Geno Smith.

CLEVELAND BROWNS: There's been no clear indication whether new head coach Rob
Chudzinski or new offensive coordinator Norv Turner - two offensive gurus who
would no doubt like to put their stamp on the Browns' offense - are in favor of
keeping 2012 rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden in the starting lineup.

The drawback to Weeden is that he's still in the developmental stage despite
being 29 years old. The positive is that he was successful as a downfield
passer in college, and that's likely going to be a prominent characteristic of
a Chudzinski-Turner offense.

The Browns have plenty of salary cap space and few big weapons in the passing
game. Weeden had a fine rookie season. In nearly any other year, his rookie
performance would have been lauded by scouts and fans alike. The problem was
that he broke into the league in a season when Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III
and Russell Wilson also debuted, and Weeden was a tier or two behind those
franchise quarterbacks.

If the Browns ultimately decide against moving forward with Weeden, a likely
replacement could be New England Patriots backup Ryan Mallett. Newly hired vice
president of player personnel Michael Lombardi reportedly rated Mallett, who
was picked in the third round, as the top quarterback in the 2011 NFL draft.

If the Browns are willing to surrender a second-rounder and an additional mid-
round pick, they might be able to pry Mallett from New England.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: New general manager David Caldwell made it clear that
likely free agent Tim Tebow won't be in the Jaguars' plans. The question is,
will former first-round pick Blaine Gabbert remain in their plans with a new
front office and coaching staff in place?

Jacksonville owns the No. 2 pick in the draft and Caldwell hasn't ruled out
picking a quarterback. If that's the case, the target would likely be West
Virginia's Smith.

Connecting a couple of dots, though, this could be a landing spot for Flynn
from Seattle. Jacksonville's new head coach is Gus Bradley, who was the
defensive coordinator in Seattle this season. He saw Flynn first-hand. The
Seahawks, with Russell Wilson entrenched as the starter, would likely want to
deal Flynn to save some salary cap space.

Chad Henne is still around, and he could serve as a stop-gap starter until
the Jaguars find a franchise quarterback. The Flynn option seems more likely
than drafting a quarterback because one could make a case that the No. 2 pick
would be better spent on a pass rusher. There will be some good ones available
and it would fill a major weakness.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: New coach Andy Reid has the first pick, and it has to be
tempting to go after a quarterback. When he took over the Eagles, he drafted
his franchise quarterback (Donovan McNabb) at No. 2 overall, ignoring the fans'
desire for running back Ricky Williams.

Could he take the same route in his first draft with the Chiefs? It's possible,
but it seems unlikely that he'd like any of this year's draft-eligible
quarterbacks enough to take them at No. 1 overall.

Since Reid will be calling the plays and he prefers a West Coast offense, this
would appear to be a good fit for current 49ers backup Alex Smith. It also
could be a good spot for Flynn.

There are also a couple of quarterbacks who could be available that have ties
to Reid: Kolb and Vick. Both have started games for Reid in the past.

If Reid gets one of those veterans, he also could add another quarterback
through the draft. He has frequently picked quarterbacks in the middle rounds
and done a fine job developing them and eventually flipping them for higher
draft choices.

It's merely a hunch, but don't be surprised if Reid targets Oklahoma's Landry
Jones, who would be a good fit for the offense, in the middle rounds.

NEW YORK JETS: It's hard to believe Mark Sanchez won four road playoff games in
his first two seasons in the league. The Sanchez of 2012 was arguably the worst
starting quarterback in the NFL. The former No. 5 overall pick has regressed,
even though he should be entering his prime years.

The Jets have plenty of problems. Half of their starting lineup is eligible for
free agency, and the team has a dearth of offensive weapons. Sanchez is
perceived to be the biggest individual problem, but there are at least 8.25
million reasons (as in dollars) to indicate he will be back in 2013.

Considering a salary cap hit would be disastrous if the Jets cut Sanchez, it's
safe to say he'll return to the team. The hiring of Marty Mornhinweg as
offensive coordinator would put Sanchez in a West Coast offense, which some
scouts believe would be the best fit for him. If the Jets add offensive line
help and some playmakers, such as a more dynamic running back than impending
free agent Shonn Green, Sanchez would be better set up to succeed.

Sanchez, however, is expected to have competition for the starting job, and not
from current backups Tebow or Greg McElroy. It's unlikely the team could afford
to go after higher-priced veterans like Flynn, Smith or Vick, but Tarvaris
Jackson (reportedly a favorite of new general manager John Idzik) could be an
option. A rookie also could be drafted in the second or third round.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: This is an interesting one because new coach Chip Kelly
will need a particular kind of quarterback to run his up-tempo, read-option,
spread offense.

Vick might thrive in such an attack, but he'd cost $15.5 million if he doesn't
agree to restructure his contract. Nick Foles, who showed promise in a late-
season audition, is hardly a natural fit for Kelly's offense.

One player who seems destined to end up on the Eagles' roster, probably as a
backup, is former Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, who is on the Baltimore
Ravens' roster. The 2013 starter, if it isn't Foles, is a mystery. There is no
obvious Cam Newton, RG3, Colin Kaepernick or Wilson clone available in this
draft.

Kelly might have a shot at drafting Smith from West Virginia, but he isn't
really an ideal fit for the offense, either. The best fit among draft-eligible
quarterbacks might be Florida State's E.J. Manuel.

The Eagles have two second-round picks and they might have to use one of them
to secure Manuel, whose stock could continue to rise because of the growing
popularity of the read-option offense. The smart money could be on Manuel to be
on the Eagles' 2013 roster.

Jeff Saukaitis is a former Sports Network writer/editor who has been a
professional sportswriter since 1985.